America's Work Force Union Podcast

Federal judge reinstates Starbucks Memphis Seven workers

Written by awfblog | September 9, 2022

Joyce Goldstein, a labor and employee benefits lawyer at Joyce Goldstein & Associates, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed a federal court’s reinstatement of the Memphis Seven, Starbucks workers who were fired following an in-store media interview about the store's organizing efforts earlier this year.

Starbucks management claimed the workers were fired over a breach of security protocol, but union leaders contended the chain violated labor laws to stop the workers from organizing. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) investigated and found good cause to believe the workers were fired for illegitimate reasons and sent the case to federal court, Goldstein said.

Goldstein also explained a draft rule recently issued by the NLRB on the joint employer standard and a recent NLRB decision that found a Tesla ban on pro-union shirts violated workers’ free speech rights.

Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.